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Valves
Valves are found in all plumbing and heating systems but commonly go unnoticed until disaster strikes. Valves are used as emergency shutoff devices for water, gas, or oil systems and must function properly to ensure a safe and efficient plumbing or heating system. They regulate flow in hydronic systems and can be used for drainage purposes. Ball Valves A ball valve is commonly used as a shutoff device for water, gas, or oil in Plumbing and Heating Systems. The name Ball Valve derives from a sphere or "ball" strategically placed in the passageway of the valve through which fluid flows. The ball has a hole through it, by which the valve opens and closes. How does a Ball Valve work? When the ball valve is open, the ball is positioned so that the hole runs in the same direction as the passageway, allowing fluid to flow through the hole. When it is closed, the ball is positioned so that the hole is perpendicular to the passageway, thus obstructing fluid from flowing through. The ball's position is controlled by a handle that can be turned 90 degrees, or a quarter turn. Turning the handle 90 degrees allows one to open and close the valve. The handle and the valve's position are always in line, allowing one to easily see the valve's position. There are many variations of ball valves, each differing in pressure and flow restrictions. The most commonly used ball valves are Full Port Ball Valves. These types of ball valves have an oversized ball, and the hole within the ball is the same size as the pipe to which the ball valve is connected. This combination allows for little friction loss and unrestricted flow. Ball valves are durable and typically work to achieve perfect shutoff, even after years of use. For this reason, they are the preferred choice for shutoff applications. Although they do not offer the fine control that may be necessary in throttling applications, they are sometimes used for this purpose as well. Webstone is known for their unique bleeder (drain) ball valves. These bleeder ball valves are practical in situations where there is air pressure buildup in water lines. The bleeder allows for excess air pressure to escape the system, which consequently prevents leaks in the plumbing system. Gate Valves A gate valve is a type of valve used to prevent the flow of liquid in a plumbing system. It is primarily designed to be completely open or completely closed. Consequently, gate valves are rarely used as a means of regulating flow. A standard gate valve has a bonnet found on top of the valve body. This bonnet is responsible for holding the stopping wedge and the mechanism responsible for raising and lowering the wedge. A handle is located on top of the bonnet. The wedge inside the valve moves up or down as the handle is turned. When the wedge is fully lowered, liquid is completely blocked from flowing through the pipe. Gate valves are widely used in industrial piping due to their ability to fully shut off or fully turn on flow. They are commonly constructed from cast iron or brass, and are characterized by size and connection type. Washing Machine Shut Off Valves Washing machine shutoff valves are used to shut off the flow of hot and cold water from supply pipes to the flexible hoses that connect to a washing machine. These valves prevent the washing machine hoses from bursting and causing potential damage to the home. At PexSupply.com, we offer manual and automatic shutoff valves manufactured by Watts. The Watts Intelliflow is a state-of-the-art electronic control that senses the washing machine's water flow. When the washing machine is turned on, the controls detect the flow to the washer. It then opens the hot and cold water inlet valves and allows water to flow to the washing machine. When the washing cycle is completed the sensor automatically closes the water inlet valves. These valves remain closed until the machine is used again. The IntelliFlow's automatic operation and floor mounted leak sensor protect against catastrophic water damage should a washing machine inlet hose burst while the machine is in use.